After a wild final weekend of the regular season, it will be Auburn and Missouri facing off in the Southeastern Conference Championship in Atlanta.
There are big changes at the top of this week’s final SEC Power Rankings as Alabama was knocked from the throne after occupying the top spot since the season began.
With just one game left to be played, here’s my final ranking of the season.
1. Auburn (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
In order to be considered the best, a team must beat the best, and that’s exactly what Auburn did. The Plainsmen’s Iron Bowl win for the ages leapfrogs them ahead of the Tide and into the top spot.
Chris Davis’ 100-plus yard missed field goal return marks the second Miracle at Jordan-Hare in as many games. Gus Malzahn appears to have divine intervention on his side, and I’m not one to go against that.
Last Week: 2
2. Missouri (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
The Tigers took care of business against Ole Miss and Texas A&M and will head to Atlanta for its first SEC Championship game.
They head into the game with less fanfare than Auburn but are every bit as dangerous. Missouri is undefeated with James Franklin at quarterback, and the offense has been balanced and efficient since he returned.
Last Week: 3
3. Alabama (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
Alabama losing a game is becoming as much of a November tradition as Thanksgiving and leaves falling from trees.
The losses haven’t cost the Tide much in recent years, but this time it’s a killer. Alabama won’t play for an SEC Championship and would need a miracle to play for its third straight BCS Championship.
Last Week: 1
4. South Carolina (10-2, 6-2 SEC)
Missouri’s win keeps South Carolina out of the SEC Championship game, but the Gamecocks still closed out their regular season on a high note with an impressive win against in-state rival Clemson.
With quarterback Connor Shaw healthy, South Carolina has won its last five games. It’s unlikely South Carolina will play in a BCS bowl, but the team is good enough to deserve it.
Last Week: 4
5. LSU (9-3, 5-3 SEC)
LSU would have suffered one of the most embarrassing home losses in program history if true freshman Anthony Jennings didn’t lead a 99-yard drive in the final minutes to save the day.
The Tigers didn’t do anything to warrant moving up in the rankings, but none of the teams behind them did enough to unseat them, so they stay put.
Last Week: 5
6. Texas A&M (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
The series of injuries appears to have caught up with Johnny Manziel as he hasn’t looked at all like his normal self against LSU or Missouri.
It was far from vintage Johnny Football, but he did play well enough to nearly upset Missouri on Saturday. The good news is he’ll have multiple weeks to get healthy enough to go out with a bang in the bowl game.
Last Week: 6
7. Vanderbilt (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
It wasn’t pretty, but Vanderbilt got past Wake Forest for its fourth straight victory and second consecutive eight-win regular season.
The Commodores never looked overly impressive outside of Jordan Matthews, but James Franklin knows how to coach in close games and wins more of them than he loses. That moved them up the rankings as teams above them stumbled.
Last Week: 8
8. Georgia (8-4, 5-3 SEC)
Nobody would have blamed the Bulldogs for mailing the season in when Aaron Murray blew out his knee, but instead Hutson Mason filled in at quarterback and led a feverish comeback to beat Georgia Tech in double-overtime.
The promise Mason showed can be taken as a bright spot going forward in an otherwise nightmare season for Georgia.
Last Week: 9
9. Mississippi State (6-6, 3-5 SEC)
Mississippi State beat Ole Miss in overtime to become bowl eligible and in all likelihood save coach Dan Mullen’s job.
With the game on the line, Mullen turned to injured quarterback Dak Prescott to come in and win the game. With Prescott at the helm, the Fighting Cowbells have a viable offense to complement their defense.
Last Week: 10
10. Ole Miss (7-5, 3-5 SEC)
With alternating winning and losing streaks, the Rebel Black Bears were the SEC’s most up-and-down team this season.
Unfortunately for them, the season ended on a low note with back-to-back losses to Missouri and Mississippi State. Throwing away the Egg Bowl caused them to plummet in the final rankings.
Last Week: 7
11. Tennessee (5-7, 2-6 SEC)
Tennessee avoided utter humiliation and ended its season with a 27-14 victory against Kentucky.
The Volunteers aren’t bowl eligible, but progress was made in Butch Jones’ first season. They seem to be going in the right direction, and that keeps them ahead of the bottom three.
Last Week: 11
12. Arkansas (3-9, 0-8 SEC)
Arkansas should have beaten LSU on Friday but managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Some believe Bret Bielema has the Hogs headed in the right direction. I don’t. But nearly winning makes them better than the other disasters at the bottom of the SEC.
Last Week: 12
13. Florida (4-8, 3-5 SEC)
One of the worst seasons in Florida history has mercifully come to an end as the Gators lost their seventh consecutive game.
Two offensive coaches have already lost their jobs, but it appears Will Muschamp will come back next season. Under normal circumstances, this team would be last in the rankings.
Last Week: 13
14. Kentucky (2-10, 0-8 SEC)
This is the worst SEC team I’ve ever seen. I have nothing more to add to this report.
Last Week: 14
James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Beacon, N.Y.